Bruschetta “Chicken Toast”

OK, I know the name of this dish sounds weird and maybe even gross. Since I am doing a low carb/high protein diet right now, I can’t have bread. I love bread. I love all kinds of bread. But I can’t have it. So I am trying to trick myself into thinking I am eating bread by pairing it with things I would eat on bread. Does that make sense? In this case, it’s bruschetta. I LOVE bruschetta and get cravings for it all the time. It has so much flavor! Since I couldn’t have it on a delicious baguette slice, I smashed a chicken breast real thin to trick myself into thinking it was toast…here’s how I did it:

I made the bruschetta ahead of time because the longer all the ingredients sit together the more flavorful it is. Bruschetta is really easy and quick to make and will add loads of flavor to anything you make. First I chopped the tomatoes and put them in a bowl. I bought little cherry tomatoes because my grocery store was out of proper tomatoes. If you use regular tomatoes, spoon out the guts before chopping. Just use whichever tomatoes you like or have access to, doesn’t matter.

Then I added the other ingredients to the bowl of tomatoes: chopped garlic, chopped basil, capers, salt, pepper and olive oil. Here is how to chop basil, if you have a hard time with it:

Grab all the individual leaves and stack them.

Then roll them like a cigar.

Then slice them with a sharp chef’s knife, called a chiffonade.

The chiffonade leaves the slices in long strands, so if you want them more chopped, then run your knife back over the pile a couple more times, like I did.

Stir all the ingredients together and put in the fridge until ready to serve.

Now on to the chicken. I started with 2 regular chicken breasts.

I got out my meat tenderizing tool where one side is the tenderizing side (spiky) and the other side is flat. Always use the flat side when thinning out chicken.

Also, if you have a plastic cutting board without grippers, like me, lay a dishtowel underneath it when using so it doesn’t move around and make a lot of noise. When pounding chicken, it’s best to put it into a Ziploc bag, single file, and pound the chicken through the Ziploc. It’s a lot less messy, but I didn’t have any bags, so I had a mess to control and clean up later. Oh well. Tip: I know I have bought chicken already thinned out for you at American groceries, like HEB and Kroger. So if you can find that, then you can skip this whole step. Now, if you’re doing it, pound the chicken until it’s thin like this:

These are the seasonings I used to make it seem like I was eating garlic bread, but use whatever you like. I used salt, pepper, mixed herbs, garlic powder, and olive oil for cooking:

Add a couple tablespoons of olive oil to a hot, non-stick pan and cook the chickens until they are cooked through. When they are thin like this, they cook more evenly and don’t take very long.

Get the bruschetta you made earlier and spoon it on top. I also grated a bit of parmesan cheese on top…(not sure if I am supposed to have cheese or not). Serve with a vegetable of choice and voila! Bruschetta Chicken Toast!

Jamie is my guinea pig for recipes I make and he said it was so delicious and very flavorful! (Don’t worry, I can tell when he is lying, but he was legit this time). This will definitely be added to our list of regulars! Here is the full recipe:

**I made this recipe for 2 people, so all of my measurements are as such. Adjust as needed for yourself.

1 tablespoon chopped garlic (about 3-4 cloves), or more if you like it

1-2 tablespoons chopped basil (about 5-8 leaves, depending on size)

1/4 cup olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon capers, optional

1-2 tablespoons chopped black olives, optional

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir. Best if made a couple hours ahead to a few minutes ahead of time for the flavors to sync. Set aside to make chicken.

“Chicken Toast”

2 chicken breasts, pounded thin

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons dried mixed herbs

salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons of olive oil for cooking

parmesan cheese for garnishing

Season each chicken breast with a teaspoon of garlic powder, a teaspoon of dried mixed herbs and salt and pepper to taste. Heat olive oil in non-stick pan over medium-high heat. When pan is hot, carefully place chicken in pan. Cook 2-3 minutes per side, until golden brown and cooked through. Remove from pan to plates.

Spoon bruschetta over chicken and sprinkle grated parmesan cheese over the top. Serve with your favorite veggie and enjoy!